Second Amendment advocates were thrilled last month when a federal judge struck down a Maryland state law requiring concealed carry applicants to provide a “good and substantial reason” to carry a firearm.

However, their excitement didn’t last long.

Two weeks after the gun ruling was handed down, a federal appeals court delayed its implementation, which was supposed to happen on August 7.

The case, brought forth by The Second Amendment Foundation in 2010, transpired when Hampstead resident Raymond Woollard applied for a handgun permit after encountering an intruder in his home in 2002. When Woollard tried to renew the permit in 2009, the state denied his request because he couldn’t show “good and substantial reason” as Maryland state law requires.

My take: When it comes to the Second Amendment, should citizens have the burden of proof? The U.S. Constitution – the “supreme law of the land” – affirms that Americans have the right to keep and bear arms, but in Maryland and many other states, people must prove why they should be allowed that right.